$1.4 million federal grant expands nurse practitioner program
EAST LANSING, Mich. â€" Michigan State University's College of Nursing is one of 26 schools nationwide to receive federal funds to expand its primary care nurse practitioner program.
(Media-Newswire.com) - EAST LANSING, Mich. — Michigan State University's College of Nursing is one of 26 schools nationwide to receive federal funds to expand its primary care nurse practitioner program.
The five-year, $1.42 million grant from the Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration is a part of the Advanced Nursing Education Expansion program. That program, through the Affordable Care Act's prevention and public health fund, aims to increase the number of nurses with advanced degrees who provide health care services similar to those of a physician.
Student recipients will be awarded a $22,000 annual stipend for up to two years to help reduce their financial burden so they can enroll in the program full time. In turn, graduation will be accelerated, increasing the number of nurse practitioners in the Michigan work force.
"Being awarded this grant allows the college an opportunity to provide significant financial support to well-deserving and talented nursing students at Michigan State University," Dean Mary Mundt said. "The College of Nursing is constantly working to secure funding that will benefit our students while developing a nursing work force with advanced practice degrees."
Clinical placement of MSU nurse practitioner students takes place in more than 300 urban and rural settings throughout Michigan. The College of Nursing retains a majority of nurse practitioner graduates in Michigan, including underserved areas of the state.
"We have made a commitment to increase full-time enrollment in the college's nurse practitioner master's degree program," said Teresa Wehrwein, associate dean for Academic and Clinical Affairs. "Currently, a high number of master's students are pursuing part-time study. In the 2009 academic year, only 14 percent of our nurse practitioner students were enrolled full time."
The College of Nursing has a strong tradition of delivering the advanced education and clinical competencies necessary for nurse practitioners to deliver primary care. In 1970, the master of science in nursing program was started. During the past 40 years, the college has graduated nearly 700 students from the adult nurse practitioner and family health nurse practitioner concentrations.
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Michigan State University has been advancing knowledge and transforming lives through innovative teaching, research and outreach for more than 150 years. MSU is known internationally as a major public university with global reach and extraordinary impact. Its 17 degree-granting colleges attract scholars worldwide who are interested in combining education with practical problem solving.
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